What Hurts The Most
by DemonGirl13
Summary: AU:College-Verse. After catching his boyfriend cheating on him, Tony Stark decided that he was done with love; tired of always being the one getting hurt. Then comes Loki, his roommate's snarky,witty and devastatingly handsome younger brother. They seem to have a lot in common and soon Tony finds himself falling for the younger Odinson. Can he trust Loki with his heart?
1. Chapter 1

**AU: **It's been awhile since I last wrote something. This time, instead of mu usual Prince of Tennis fic, I've decided to branch out into a new obsession. Avengers. I'm a bit rusty so comments on how to improve are very much appreciated.

**Warning**: AU, This is set in an academia AU where the Avenger casts are in college. Strong language and minor angst. Some Steve bashing.

**Chapter 1**

Tony stood frozen as he stared at the scene laid out before him, mind reeling from the shock and his heart feeling like someone had ripped it out of his chest and stomped on it with re-enforced steel toed boots. Beside him, Rhodey had stiffen as well; his face shifting from shock to barely concealed rage while the cause of Tony's distressed was looking up at them from the couch, his usually neat blond hair messy and a look of guilt on his face.

"What the fuck, Rogers?" Rhodey's voice came out soft but no less threatening as Tony seized up a bit, his shocked face finally melting into a heartbroken look; his usually warm brown eyes filled with betrayal. The look lasted for about a second though before he quickly composed a mask of calmness. Steve had seen the look though and his heart was wrenching painfully in his chest.

'Shit. What have I done?' he thought as Rhodey stepped forward into the room he was in menacingly, placing Tony behind him in a way that made Steve think of overprotective big brothers who were hiding their sisters from a bad boyfriend.

"So… This is what happens when I don't call first huh?" Tony asked from behind Rhodey, trying to sound amused but failing as his voice shook. His head was tilted down slightly to look at the floor, not meeting Steve's gaze. Tony cursed the tremble in his voice as he thought about how long this must have been going on.

Usually before stopping by Steve's place, Tony would have called first but since he had just gotten back from a robot designing expo, he decided to surprise his boyfriend with an impromptu visit with Rhodey who had been accompanying him to the event. Never in his life would he imagine catching his boyfriend making out with his lab partner on the couch. Needless to say, Steve was shocked to see him there, in his apartment but not as shocked as a certain dark haired girl who was sitting on the worn, brown couch wearing nothing but a pair of black panties and Steve's t-shirt that fell like a mini dress around her smaller form.

"Tony. Tony I can explain…" Steve started only to stop when Tony held up a hand, face devoid of all emotion.

"I don't think that's necessary, Rogers."

Steve flinched at Tony's use of his last name. He tried to speak once more but Tony had already turned around and marched out of the door, leaving Steve to face off with Rhodey who looked to be itching to punch him in the face. Joy.

"Steve Rogers, you bastard. How could you do that to him?" he questioned, eyes angry and his tone so frigid it was a wonder Steve didn't turn into an icicle yet. Before Steve could even respond to that, Rhodey had rounded onto the dark haired woman who had the decency to look contrite for her actions.

"And I expected better from you Peggy. You knew the two of them were dating and you just…"

"It wasn't Peggy's fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me." Steve cut in and received a punch to the jaw for his efforts. Peggy gave a soft, startled gasp, rushing to Steve's aid while the blond male struggled to keep from falling onto his ass. He winced and grits his teeth but didn't retaliate; couldn't. He deserved it after all.

"That's for Tony. Be sure to expect one from Pepper, asshole." Rhodey remarked before stalking out of the apartment to go look for his wayward genius friend. Tony Stark was a ball of hyperactive energy and all sorts of unstable trouble on a good day. The shock from finding out that Steve cheated on him could have dire consequences. He didn't hesitate to grab his phone, hitting '2' on his speed dial which almost immediately patched him up to Pepper.

"Rhodey? What's up? You usually don't call unless something's wrong." Pepper's voice came from the phone. Rhodey could almost see the worried expression on his face.

"Is it Tony? Did he set someone on fire again?" she asked, sounding exasperated this time. Rhodey could have chuckled if it weren't for the seriousness of the current matter at hand.

"Nope. Pep, this time it wasn't Tony. Me and him dropped by Steve's apartment for a surprise visit a few minutes ago and caught the good captain cheating on him with Tony's lab partner." Rhodey said as he kept an eye out for the familiar black hair and the limited edition Black Sabbath t-shirt.

There was a gasp and curse from Pepper's end and Rhodey just knew that the girl was plotting a certain quarter back's demise.

"Oh God… I'm going to kill Rogers and Peggy. How could they? Poor Tony…. Let me speak to him." Pepper demanded, going from shocked to angry to sympathetic to demanding in the span of three seconds. Rhodey was impressed.

"I would but I sort of lost him when I was yelling at Steve." Rhodey responded, finally catching sight of Tony as the smaller male darted for the science building.

"You LOST him? Rhodey! Tony in that state does not bode well for anyone. Find him and bring him over to my place. We'll discuss things then." Pepper said, sounding more worried than anything.

"I'll find him. Don't worry Pep." The male responded, finally spotting Tony heading towards the Science department; probably towards the lab. He should have known. "Pepper, I've got a visual on him. I'll see you soon." He said before hanging up and sprinting towards the science lab. For a tiny guy like Tony, he sure knew how to move pretty damn fast.

"Tony!" Rhodey called out as he entered the science lab. It was empty but what would one have expected seeing as it was a Saturday. There was a sound of things shifting in the backroom and Rhodey made his way over to the source of the sound, finding Tony slumped into a chair, a black box in hand and his eyes red rimmed.

"Tony…" Rhodes started but was cut off as the smaller, raven haired male spoke.

"Rhodey… Is there something wrong with me?" he asked, voice small and sounding so broken that Rhodey wanted nothing more than to head back to Steve's apartment give the jock another punch in the face. Unaware of his friend's inner thoughts, Tony ploughed on, turning over the little black box in his hand.

"I tried really hard for Steve… I mean I stopped flirting with everything that moves like I usually do… and stopped drinking as much… I did everything I could so that Steve wouldn't leave…and he… I-I really liked him Rhodey…I even remembered our three month anniversary and got him a gift…. I think I might have even loved him…" the smaller male continued, his voice cracking at the end as he finally gave in and let the tears fall freely down his cheeks, shoulder hunched as he gave a sob. Rhodey wasted no time in closing the distance between them and embracing the younger male to him as Tony started to cry in earnest.

"Shh… Shh… Tony… Tony you did nothing wrong… Rogers was an idiot for cheating on you… There's nothing wrong with you…" Rhodey shushed, whispering calming words into his friend's ear as his heart gave a painful twist. 'I'm going to kill him.' He thought darkly as he held Tony close while the other male cried. It was about ten minutes later when Tony had finally calm down, his crying dying down to the occasional sniffle or two. Tony was drained, both physically and emotionally and wanted nothing more but to crawl into his bed and sleep till September.

"Come on Tones. I'll take you to Pepper's place. She's probably wondering why we aren't there to greet her yet." Rhodey's voice was soft and calm, as if he didn't want to disturb his friend less Tony starts going into another fit of self depreciation. The younger male merely nodded and let his friend lead him out of the lab and back towards the car which he proceeded to drive towards Pepper's apartment. The drive took all off ten minutes with just how fast Rhodey was driving but Tony was already falling asleep in the passenger seat, having cried himself into exhaustion.

With a little help from Pepper, they managed to coax Tony out of the car and into the apartment where he promptly laid claim over the sofa and passed out. Pepper shot him a worried look and Rhodey shook his head. There was not much that the duo could do except look out for him and making sure Tony doesn't do something stupid, like drinking himself into alcohol poisoning.

"Have you called Jarvis?" Pepper asked. Rhodey shook his head. He wasn't sure he'd be able to deal with Tony having a break down and a protective assassin butler at the same time. As if she could read his mind, Pepper smiled and stood up to go make the call. Jarvis would know what to do, being an almost father figure for the young Stark and even more protective of him that Rhodey and Pepper combined. Plus, Tony needed all the assurance he could get that there was nothing wrong with him.

The call was almost too pleasant. Jarvis had greeted Pepper warmly and like a true gentleman before inquiring if Tony had somehow managed to blow something up again and that they needed money or possibly lawyers to fix. Pepper had assured the man that no, Tony didn't do anything of the sort for awhile and then proceeded to fill him in on what happened. The Englishman's tone wavered slightly in anger before smoothing out again and Pepper had the distinct feeling that if Steve Rogers and Edwin Jarvis ever crossed paths, then the blond haired jock was going to be in a world of hurt. Not many people had ever had the pleasure of encountering Tony's overprotective, gun wielding butler when he was legitimately angry after all. The duo exchanged goodbyes and Jarvis promised to send over some of Tony's favourite foods from home and would be calling in regularly to check on his young master's wellbeing.

"So how did Jarvis take the news?" Rhodey asked when Pepper finally came back into the living room.

"It's Jarvis. He took it as well as he could have but I have the feeling that if he and Steve were ever to cross paths in the future then there would most definitely be bloodshed and I'd be willing to put my bet on Jarvis coming out on top." The strawberry blond haired girl said with a shrug.

"Yeah well… Jarvis is like a father to Tony so it's to be expected." Rhodey said as the duo's eyes fell on Tony's sleeping form.

"I still can't believe Steve would do such a thing." Pepper said softly as Rhodey sighed in defeat.

"Forget about Rogers Pep. All we can do now is make sure that Tony stays safe and preferably sober for the rest of our academic year. He might be a genius but it's no use if he winds up dead." Rhodey said darkly, still pissed as hell at Steve.

"Yeah… You better call Thor and tell him Tony's not coming back tonight." Pepper said and Rhodey merely nodded, having already grabbed Tony's phone and dialling up Tony's Norwegian roommate.

* * *

In room 308 of the students' dorms, Thor, a young, muscular blond who happened to be one Tony Stark's roommate was dressed in nothing but shorts and a black tank top. His shoulder length blond hair was tied back with a plain black rubber band and his muscular arms were wrapped around his bolster as he sat at his computer desk. His eyes were alight with eagerness and glee as he skyped with his younger brother, speaking in an excitable manner. He really did seem like an overgrown puppy as he spoke, his voice loud and boisterous despite having the microphone mere inches from his mouth.

"Brother! I have received word from mother that you are on your way here at this very moment." Thor said as the man on the other line gave a nod, a pale hand reaching out to his side in order to probably turn down the volume.

"Yes Thor. I'll be arriving at your college at noon tomorrow. The hotel I'm staying in now is quite near to the town you're residing in but I am far too tired to make my way there now." The quite reply came just before Thor's laughter boomed around the room. He had missed his family and friends back in Norway but he especially missed his younger brother. Loki was something of an acquired taste. He was sharp tongue when he wanted to be and was as sly as a fox. He could spin tales and deliver them with such conviction that a person would have no choice but to believe him. Off course his family knew when he was telling fibs but that did not deter how impressed Thor was of his brother's ability. It was one of the main reasons he thought, that Loki was pursuing a degree in writing and literature.

"Should I pick you up and bring you to where it is you will be staying?" Thor asked once he calmed down enough. On the other line, Loki merely shrugged his shoulders.

"If you wish." He responded blandly as Thor grinned once more.

"Excellent! I cannot wait to introduce you to Jane and also my roommate!" Thor said excitedly. Jane Foster was a lovely girl he had met the first week on Campus and the hit it off spectacularly. Tony said it was Love at first Latte since he had met her at a Starbucks, actually bumping into her and spilling her drink. He offered to buy her a new one and they got to chatting and Thor found her both engaging and irresistible. She was a science major, like Tony but instead of keeping herself cooped up in the library, she still found her way to the outside world every once in awhile.

Loki actually perked up a little bit, a sly little smile appearing on his face.

"Ah, so I finally get to meet the girlfriend and that infamous roommate of yours." Came the reply, a hint of interest in the raven haired male's voice. Off course he knew almost everything there is to know about Jane with how often Thor spoke of her but it was Thor's roommate that interested Loki the most.

According from what he had heard from his older brother, Tony Stark was something of a child genius, getting into college at the tender age of fifteen. He was apparently double majoring in engineering and some other science subject he didn't care to remember and was about as snarky as Loki was on a good day. Stark was seventeen now apparently and liked to spend his free time jotting down equations on the dryers in the laundry room when he suffers from insomnia. Thor had apparently taken a shine to him as well and treated Tony as if he were another younger brother. The fact that Tony sometimes reminded Thor of Loki probably had something to do with it.

"Off course! I'm sure you and Jane will get along spectacularly!" Thor boomed, sounding hopeful. He would love it for his brother and girlfriend to get along and was being optimistic when he said that Jane would like Loki. His last girlfriend, Sif had managed to rub Loki the wrong way once and it ended up in her hair being ruined a day before prom and her dumping him for finding the entire thing funny.

"We'll see brother." He responded just as the chorus for 'Everybody loves me' blared out from Thor's end of the skype conversation.

"It's Tony." The blond said as he reached for his phone, taking off his headset to answer the call.

"Hello, Thor?" came a voice, much deeper that Anthony's. It had Thor blinking in confusion for a second before he realized that it was probably Tony's friend, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes. He smiled and returned the greeting.

"Greetings, James. Might I inquire why you are calling?" he asked, mildly curious. There were a handful of times where James commandeered Tony's phone and when he did it usually did not bode well for Tony.

"Yeah, listen…. Tony won't be making it back to your room tonight. Something happened so he's going to be staying with me and Pepper." Rhodey responded. Thor frowned slightly and on screen, Loki was giving his brother a curious look.

"Is he alright?" asked the blond, his mind already going over ways to help his friend.

"Physically he's fine. Emotionally, not so much… I'm not sure if Tony would like it if I gave everything away so I'm just going to say this. Don't be surprised if Rogers gets the cold treatment for awhile."

The phrase had Thor frowning once more. So whatever that ails his roommate had something to do with the blond captain of the college's football team whom he had been seeing for awhile. They had started going out a little after Thor and Jane had officially become a couple.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind. I hope Anthony feels better soon. Send my regards to him." Thor finally said after a beat of silence. Rhodey responds with an affirmative before hanging up and Thor finds himself once again facing Loki's visage on the computer screen.

"What was that about, Thor?" asked the raven haired male as he watched his older sibling unwind, the tension seeping out of his shoulders slightly.

"That was James Rhodes, a friend of my roommate, Anthony. He has informed me that Anthony will not be returning to our room tonight due to some unforeseeable circumstances." Thor responded, a frown still marring his face. Loki was frowning as well, finding the answer insufficient but choosing not to pursue it. Heaven knows that he need not get himself tangled in things he has no control over without even actually being on the campus yet.

"I see." Was the response he gave before tiredness overcame him. "Well Thor, it's getting late. Maybe we should continue this conversation when I arrive tomorrow." Loki stated, more as a statement than a question. Thor's frown vanished for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.

"Yes off course. Go rest brother, you must be feeling tired after your trip." He said and prepared to close the chat window. Loki bid him goodnight before the screen was once more Loki's profile picture, the little green icon turning grey as his brother went offline. Thor then shut down the computer and stood up, stretching slightly before he made his way over to his bed, sliding underneath the covers. He could not wait for his brother to arrive but at the same time he could not help but worry about his roommate. It wasn't long before Thor finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

TBC..


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed the story and added it to their favourites and alerts. You have no idea how much of a morale booster that is. I till feel as if my writing lacks something but I hope you'll enjoy this chapter anyway. Anyway, this chapter is a little longer. A treat for all of you who have been waiting so long. I apologize since I'm in between writing papers for college.

* * *

Chapter 2

After Pepper and Rhodey had made all the calls they needed, the duo had decided to move Tony to the spare bedroom. Pepper's roommate, Darcy had just moved out a few days ago, having decided that it was better for her to room with Jane since the two were childhood friends and were taking the same course. Plus, Jane had a Volkswagen beetle and Darcy was all up for hitching a ride on that thing instead of Pepper's convertible.

"I hope he'll be okay." Pepper said softly as Rhodey wrapped an arm around her smaller waist, pulling her close and placing a chaste kiss on the side of her head.

"Tony's going to be okay. He isn't alone and we'll help him get through this every step of the way." Rhodey responded, his tone determined. Pepper nodded and with that the duo retreated from the room, Pepper closing the door softly behind her.

"Good night Tony." She called out softly, just before the door closed with a soft click. She honestly hoped that her friend would get through this without hurting himself in the process. Deep down, Pepper knew that there was very little chance of that happening. After all, with Tony Stark, nothing is ever simple.

Sometime later during the night, Tony had woken up, feeling as though he had the hangover of the century. 'That can't be right… I haven't had a drink in over three months…' the young raven haired male thought to himself. He was still in the process of waking up, bordering the land of dreams and reality.

Honestly, Tony felt gross; his eyes were swollen and blurry from all that crying he did earlier and everything hurt. His head, his eyes, hell his entire body ached and he wondered just what the hell had happened. It was then that his mind chose to replay the events that happened a scant few hours ago. The realization hit him like a tonne of bricks and he felt his breath catch in his throat, chest tightening painfully.

'Steve. That's right… I caught Steve cheating on me…' he thought, not sure if he wanted to burst into tears or laugh like an idiot for not seeing it come sooner. He wasn't one for self pitying but after giving his heart and probably barring his soul to the one person he'd thought would be 'his happily ever after'; it just puts a damper on things really. Climbing out of the bed, he padded his way to the bathroom. A shower sounded good right about now. Nice and hot, despite it being roughly two in the morning. Pepper and Rhodey were probably asleep so they won't hear him.

'I have to thank Rhodey for carrying me to bed.' He thought idly, stepping into the bathroom and shedding off his shirt, jeans and boxers. He placed the haphazard pile of clothes onto the sink counter, not bothering to look at himself in the mirror. He didn't want to see his reflection showing how broken he looked. Instead, he made a beeline for the shower, turning the shower tap to hot and testing the water before he got in.

The water was a nice, warm temperature that bordered on 'hot' but not really. It was relaxing Tony's muscles and the sensation felt odd with how his chest tightened and constricted as he thought more and more about his failed relationship. Memories came unbidden and soon Tony found himself sliding down onto the cold bathroom floor; sitting in the foetal position as the water poured down over him, mixing and washing away his tears. Memories came unbidden and he tried not to flinch. Gods, he felt so pathetic.

'_Steve! Look at what I got you." Tony said as he held out a shopping bag before the older male, an amused glimmer in his eyes. Steve had looked at him with an expression of fond exasperations and amusement as he smiled that million dollar smile that had Tony swooning like a schoolgirl._

"_Tony…. What have I told you about buying gifts excessively? You just bought me a watch a week ago." Steve said firmly, a hand reaching over to the shorter male, pulling him into a one armed hug. Tony merely accepted it, burrowing closer to the older male's side, sighing contently. _

"_I'm not buying you off Steve. I just saw this and it reminded me of you. I just had to get it." The younger male replied, eyes sparkling with amusement and Steve couldn't help but let his curiosity get the better of him. Against his better judgement, he accepted the gift from Tony, laughing a little when he pulled out a shirt that read; 'American Studmuffin' with a picture of a muffin in between the two words._

"_Reminded you of me huh?" Steve said with a raised eyebrow, peering down at Tony who was grinning unabashedly._

"_What. Studmuffin you are. And you're all mine." Tony responded cockily, leaning up to press a quick kiss onto the older male's lips which was promptly returned._

"_Yeah Tones, I'm all yours." _

Tony remembered that day with clarity. It was the day before he and Rhodey had left for the robotics expo. Steve had come to see him off and everything. He didn't even give a hint as to what was to come and what had hurt Tony most was that the shirt he had presented to the older boy was the same one he had caught Peggy wearing when he found them.

"God, this shouldn't hurt as much as it does." He sniffled, the water finally starting to turn cold. After a few more minutes, he finally stood up and shut the water off before grabbing the spare towel Pepper always seem to have on hand. As he dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist and knotting it so that it would fall; Tony started to make his way over to the sink, placing his hands on top of the porcelain counter as he looked at himself, his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were a little red from the crying but the cold water had managed to get some off the redness off. He looked tired, sad, and he hated it.

"Come on. You're Tony Stark. You need to pull yourself together." He said softly, voice quiet. He couldn't mope around forever. No matter how much he had loved Steve, still loved him despite all of this, he couldn't stomach worrying his friends; to have them asking if he was alright. That would be too painful and unbearable.

"You've worried Pepper and Rhodey enough… You need to get better. Need to show them that you're alright when you're not." He continued, his voice remaining at the same pitch but a tad more frantic now as he felt his chest constrict once more from the stab of betrayal.

"You're Tony Stark and when something doesn't go your way then you smile. Smile and fake it till you break it." He concluded.

* * *

When morning came, both Pepper and Rhodey were horrified and more than a little worried to see that not only was Tony up and awake by 8 a.m. on a Saturday _willingly_, he was also smiling at them and making breakfast. The scene was bizarre that it had Rhodey questioning if he was still asleep and Pepper making her way towards Tony and taking his temperature. Tony batted her hand away, grinning like he had not just had his heart broken.

"I'm fine Pep. I just wanted to do something nice for you two. You know, for being there for me and all." Tony had said, wagging his eyebrows and grinning at them that Pepper was torn between laughing at the sheer idiocy of it all and crying because all of Tony's walls were up once more. She could read him like a book after knowing him for so long and despite the sheer cheerfulness of his demeanour, Tony's eyes were dead, only a sliver of emotion left and even then, that part was pleading with her to just let it be.

"Thanks Tones…. But how are you doing… Rhodey started awkwardly, sitting at the dining table before he was served bacon and eggs that were in the distinct shape of a smiley face. He couldn't help but snort in amusement at that. He hadn't had smiley faced breakfast food in years.

"I'm… as well as I can be. I've decided to put this whole thing behind me. It's stupid anyway. Besides, there's plenty of other fish in the sea." Tony said in a flippant tone but even Rhodey knew that, that wasn't the case. Instead of pushing it though, he merely nodded and started eating his breakfast. Pushing Tony never led to good things for anyone. He knew that if he pushed, Tony would pull a Houdini on them and disappear into the labs for god knows how long.

Seemingly pleased that Rhodey was eating, Tony turned to Pepper who gave him a weak smiled and decided to do the same. When that was settled, Tony took off the white apron no one had noticed that he was wearing and place it on the back of one of the dining chairs before he started to speak rather rapidly. It was a good thing that both Pepper and Rhodey were fluent in 'Tony Speak.'

"Well then, in that case I'm going to go and text Thor and see if he wants to catch lunch later. I'm in the mood for Thai. Does that sound good to you two? Great!" Tony said without waiting for a response before barrelling into his room to look for his phone. In his absence, the couple turned to each other, each with a worried look.

"He's avoiding the subject." Pepper said with a worried frown, his eyebrows furrowed together. "He's trying to make us not worry."

"That isn't happening. What he's doing is just making us worry even more." Rhodey retorted, taking a bite out of his bacon strip. "But its Tony's way of coping… We can't take it away from him... At least not until it gets overtly ridiculous." Rhodey relented. Pepper nodded and the duo sighed in unison.

Nothing was ever easy when you're with Tony Stark.

* * *

Thor had woken up at six in the morning and went out for his usual morning jog. Dressed in a pair of grey jogging shorts and a white wife beater, he had just only got his headphones on when his phone started vibrating.

_'Thor, what time are you going to go get your brother? - Jane'_

The blond male grinned at the text from his beloved. Jane almost always seemed to catch him just before he went for his run. The blond male typed up a quick reply as he exited the room, locking the door and making his way downstairs.

_'I will be picking him up around ten and will be showing him around the dorms. Would you like to meet him today? – Thor.'_

Just as he was about to start down the street, his phone vibrated again.

_'Not today. Darcy conned me into going shopping with her or she'll burn the curtains herself. I'll see you tomorrow though. Oh, and Clint was wondering if you were interested to join boxing club. Apparently Natasha is short one member and the club's existence is at stake. – Jane.'_

Thor pouted slightly to himself and typed back a quick reply.

_'Alright, fair Jane. I shall bring him over tomorrow if you would like. For now, I must end this conversation for I am about to go on a run, with my love, Thor.'_

With that, Thor put away his phone and plugged in his iPod before he started his run, enjoying the cool air blowing on his face. He waved at a few passing jocks that he saw who were also on a morning run. They had been trying to recruit the blond Norwegian into some sort of sports club ever since they saw the blond step foot onto the athletics field and demonstrating an excellent javelin throw.

Time seems to have flown by and by the time Thor had arrived back at his room, it was nearly nine in the morning. He'd be fetching Loki at the administrative department at ten which gave him plenty of time to grab a shower and get ready. He took his time in the bathroom, showering and using up the hot water since he usually didn't get the chance when Tony was around. It was about fifteen minutes later before he emerged, towel draped across his shoulders as he dried his hair, another smaller towel wrapped around his waist. He checked his phone, seeing that he had received another text, this time it was from Tony.

_'Lunch with me later?'– Tony._

Thor grinned and typed back a quick response. Maybe introducing Loki to Tony a bit earlier than planned would be good. They both shared some common traits and he'd like it if the two of them got along. Loki was his brother and always will be but Tony had carved a special place for himself in Thor's heart and he almost treated the smaller raven haired male as he would Loki when he was younger.

_'Off course. I have told you about my brother Loki, yes? He is to come to college with us and I shall be picking him up at the admin's office in an hour. Will it be alright if he joins as well?' – Thor._

It didn't take more than five minutes for the reply to come and by then Thor was already dressed in his boxers and a t-shirt, cargo pants in hand.

_'Whatever you want big guy. Can't wait to meet this Loki you've been bragging about. See you at around 1-ish.' – Tony._

Thor grinned, looking like an excitable golden retriever puppy at the text. Without further delay, the blond Norwegian quickly made his way out of his dorm room to go fetch his brother. He could scarcely wait for lunch time to roll around.

* * *

Meanwhile at the administration office, a tall male with medium length straight black hair, fair, almost translucent skin and piercing green eyes stood at the front steps, a pile of bags at his sides. He was rather handsome in a cool and calculating kind of way; a regal beauty, his posture perfectly straight and giving him an almost dominating aura. Despite all of this, not one of the passing students bothered to stop and chat with him, either intimidated by him or struck dumb by his looks. Internally Loki scoffed at their pathetic attempts to hide their interests but appreciate the fact that they weren't throwing themselves at him like the people from his previous college.

'That's a good start at least.' He thought to himself, just as a silver hybrid pulled up into the parking lot. A woman with short, dark hair emerged from it, followed by a buff blond guy with a ridiculously outdated haircut that oddly suited him and a raven haired male a little shorter than the blond but only by half an inch. He didn't mean to eavesdrop but the blond and red head weren't exactly being quiet about it. The raven haired male who was with them was torn between looking disappointed and sympathetic at the same time.

"I can't believe he found out that way. He'll never forgive me Peggy." The blond male addressed the sole female in an upset tone. He looked a little wrecked from what Loki could see, bags forming beneath the rather attractive sky blue eyes.

"I told you that you should have just stayed friends with the kid but no. You had to lead him on by being too nice to turn him down." the raven haired male of the group said rather unhelpfully as both the blond and 'Peggy' shot him a look. Peggy's was a disapproving one and Steve was one of a depressed puppy.

"Bucky… I swear to God I wasn't playing with his emotions or anything. When we were dating I thought I was genuinely in love with him." The blond said in frustration, looking about ready to tear his hair out.

"It's just, these past few weeks have been hard. He's been working himself to death on some robots and hasn't been taking care of himself. I'm constantly worried that he's just gonna collapse one day and then get carted off or something. It's just… it got too much… And he's so much younger than me. I can't even hold him without feeling bad about it." The blond continued, sounding a bit hysteric to Loki's ears.

The Norwegian wondered who this blond was talking about. He seemed rather interesting and must have had quite the hold on the blond who looked like he could bench press his own weight. 'Ah, first day hear and already in the loop with local gossip.' He thought to himself as the red haired woman spoke, placing a hand on the blonds' bicep. She looked a little hurt but she didn't let on too much.

"Steve… I am so sorry… I shouldn't have pushed you like that… I-It was wrong of me but I don't regret it. I'm in love with you and even if you decide to go back to him after this, I don't-" she started but Steve listed a hand to cup her face tenderly.

"Peggy… Peggy please, listen… I love him but I love you too… I'm just as guilty if not more." Steve said with a heartbreaking tone before the other male, Bucky decided to break up the little drama fest.

"Alright. You're both idiots but let's hurry up and get to Phil's for some donuts. You both can talk about how you're going to fix this mess because frankly Steve, you're pretty much screwed. Pepper and Rhodey will be on your ass like white on rice and so is that butler." Bucky muttered, pushing the duo towards a coffee shop that was a little way away from the admin's office.

Loki simply watched them leave from the corner of his eye and looked up just as Thor's familiar Ford Truck pulled in. Deciding not to mention what he had seen to his brother, the two Odinson's merely loaded up the truck after Thor had given Loki the biggest hug in the history of hugs. They drove back to Thor's dorms in companionable silence.

* * *

Tony had arrived home at about 11.30 in the morning. When he had arrived, bidding Rhodey goodbye and getting a hug from his older friend, he had practically locked himself in the room and cleaned it compulsively, a habit Pepper had instilled in him when he got antsy. Now, the room was as clean as it was when he first got there; both beds made, trash thrown away, clothes neatly folded, and put away and everything from his text books to Thor's funky music collection had been organized in alphabetical order. The room, once deemed 'The Pit' due to the lack of cleanliness and the fact that when you lose something in there, it was going to stay lost for months was so clean that Tony had thought that it was almost _too clean. _He's pretty sure he had freaked himself out when he was done. With the cleaning done, he was once again left to his own thoughts that were were spiraling dangerously close to self pity once more.

'Don't think about it Tony Stark. You are a Stark. You are not allowed to do this.' He kept telling himself, picking up the phone to call the local Thai place and ordered some food. Rice, spicy stir fried pork and long beans, tomyam soup, some stir fried chicken with basil, some hoi tod which were basically mussels fried in a batter that tasted so good he could have just eaten it by itself. He also ordered fried chicken, Chinese dumplings and some coconut drinks because what the hell. They tasted great and if he was going to binge eat; it might as well be something exotic. The order would arrive in 45 minutes, giving Tony plenty of time to shower and get dressed. Who knew all that cleaning could make a person so dirty?

"Ugh… I guess shower it is." He said, making a face as he pulled off his t-shirt. His hair felt all oily and he was starting to smell a little ripe. Sauntering into the bathroom, he turned the shower on and continued to strip, tossing his dirty clothes in the hamper to wash later. Stepping under the spray, he allowed the hot water to sooth the aches in his body. Making him forget why he had been so high strung in the first place. Steve had always said that nothing feels better than a hot shower.

'Steve.' He thought his heart constricting once more as he gave a shuddering breath. He was under the shower so maybe it was okay for him to stop pretending to be strong. With thought in mind, he sunk to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and allowing the water to wash over him, mingling with the hot tears that flowed down his face. No one would know that Tony Stark was crying over a man in the safety of his bathroom. He spent a good ten minutes just sitting there, having his second mental breakdown of the day before he decided to get some actual washing done. He washed his body and hair with that special body wash and shampoo that Pepper had gotten him for his birthday and by the time he was done, he was cleaned and smelt faintly of chocolate. It was subtle but Tony kind of liked it. It reminded him of when Jarvis would let him help the older male bake cookies when he was younger. Once he had dried himself off, he pulled on a pair of clean boxers and ventured into the bedroom to continue getting dressed when the front door suddenly opened and Thor came in, bringing a rather handsome raven haired male along with him.

There was a beat of silence as the trio shared glances. Thor torn between sheepishness and amusement, the raven haired male who just had to be Loki, with a look of curious interest and Tony with a blank look though he was feeling a tad mortified. No one dared to break the silence as the door closed behind Thor and his brother with a soft 'click'. That was all the prompting needed before Tony said;

"You must be Loki. I'm Tony, Thor's roommate and if you'll excuse me, I'll just go get dressed." And with that, he collected his clothes and very calmly made his way back into the bathroom with a flourish that only Tony could manage.

There was silence once more before…

"You have an interesting roommate, brother."

Tony could hear Thor's loud guffaw all the way in the bathroom.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thank you to all of those who have reviewed this story. It means a lot to me. I apologize for not replying some of your reviews and that this chapter is a bit late. I'm in the midst of my finals weeks and have a lot of assignments that need to get done. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Phil! Natasha's threatening me with 'Samara' again!" a distinctly male voice called out from the backroom, making the man in question sigh, a hand reaching up to rub at his temples. Phil Coulson was a 26 year old man who had won several awards in mixed martial arts and was a genius when it came to turning positively anything into weapons. He had a degree in psychology and a diploma in business management. How he came about to opening a coffee shop in an admittedly famous university with his boyfriend Clint Barton was a mystery,

"It's 'Samaria'" was the cool reply coming from a smooth, slightly accented female voice. There was a scuffling sound, rubber soles against cold stone floors and a small curse. Phil wasn't at all worried but he did hope that the duo don't end up breaking anything. Silence reign for a moment before he hears Clint whine.

'What now?' Phil thought with a sigh, just as the owners of the two voices came out of the back room, the male looking slightly ruffled and terrified while the female was all cool composure with a hint of amusement on her otherwise pretty but stoic face.

"Kids, what have I told you about playing nice?" Phil finally asked, turning around to face his rather traumatized looking boyfriend and his Russian part timer. Clint was wearing a brown and black t-shirt with dark, stone washed jeans and the shops green apron. His hair was a light brown; almost dirty blond to the untrained eye and was slightly mussed.

'He must have taken a nap.' Phil thought as Natasha poked Clint in the ribs. As opposed to Clint's rumpled appearance, Natasha's appearance was pristine; a black and grey striped long sleeved shirt under the store's apron, boot cut black jeans and her long, fiery red hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"But she started it." Clint mumbled, looking more like a petulant child than the 23 year old he was supposed to be. Phil raised an eyebrow as Natasha shot the brunette a dark look and a smile that promised divine retribution.

"Somehow I highly doubt that." came Phil's dry response, a small smile tugging at his lips at Clint's over exaggerated kicked puppy look.

"That's hurtful Phil. I'm withholding sex from you tonight." Clint responded, causing his older lover to flush and splutter while Natasha watched in amusement.

"Save the bedroom talk for your break, Barton. We have customers." Natasha said, her sharp, dark eyes spotting the trio that were making their way towards the glass double doors of their establishment. Clint and Phil looked up, the former brightening a bit.

"Nah, those aren't customers. That's just Steve and his sidekicks." Clint said with a snicker, just as the doors opened. Phil would have reprimanded him if not for the fact that he secretly agreed with Clint's statement. Steve Rogers had been coming to his coffee shop to draw, sketch or just think for hours at a time since it first opened about a year and a half ago. Usually he was accompanied by Bucky, Peggy or more recently, his boyfriend Tony Stark. In fact, Steve came to Phil's shop so frequently that he even had his own discount card.

'Huh. Wonder where Stark is.' The older male couldn't help but wonder. It would probably kill him to admit it out loud but he had a soft spot for Tony and his impish ways. Sure the kid could be a pain the ass at times but he sometimes made for good company. Plus, it was kindda hilarious to see the kid walking into the shop with Steve at six in the morning, looking like a zombie and moaning for Phil's specially made coffee which he claims to be, and Phil quotes; 'The best damn elixir of gods ever made by human hands.' Clint had laughed himself into hysterics at that one and it didn't help that Tony was also clutching the coffee pot to his chest like that Sméagol guy from Lord of the Rings when he had said it.

Bucky, having unusually sharp hearing, gave Clint a mock glare before breaking out into a wide grin after having caught sight of Natasha. Seeing the look being thrown her way, the Russian girl lifted an eyebrow challengingly, wielding a fork like a dangerous weapon.

"Easy Natasha… We have civilians amongst us." Bucky said with a smooth tone and wiggle of his eyebrows, a charming smile plastered onto his face as he took a seat in one of the chairs at the table closest to the counter. Clint snorted and Natasha's lips quirked up a bit at the side before she replied in a cool tone;

"It'd be much easier if you were less annoying, Barnes."

"Ouch." Clint muttered from his position as Bucky gave Natasha an over-exaggerated wounded look. Steve and Peggy had started to perk up a bit at the shenanigans; at least until Clint had managed to stop cackling at Bucky to turn to Steve.

"So where's Tony? He decided to lock himself in the lab again?" he asked, an amused smirk on his face. The smirk immediately dropped when he saw both Peggy and Steve stiffen at the mention of the Stark prodigy's name. Even Bucky had gone quiet from where he was having a verbal battle with Natasha, which usually never happens unless it was serious. Phil frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he looked at his favourite customers. The expression on his face could only be called worry.

"What? Did something happen?" Clint asks, addressing the elephant in the room head on. Phil had to hold back a snort. 'That was just like Clint.' he though as Steve shifted nervously in his spot. Surprisingly enough, it was Peggy who broke the silence. The expression on her face was contrite.

"Tony won't be joining us for awhile." She started, immediately catching Clint's, Phil's and Natasha's attention.

"Wait, what? Why?" Clint asked, sounding as shocked as Phil felt. Even Natasha raised an eyebrow to that; and she NEVER thinks that Tony will be able to do something to shock her anymore. It seems that the question or the tone of voice Clint used to ask the question was enough to crack Steve as he blurted out what had happened late last night. Telling them about how Tony had caught him and Peggy together last night and how it was over between them.

By the end of the explanation, Steve ended up deflating and slumping into a chair while Peggy did the same in a more sedate fashion. Bucky shook his head as he watched his friends and the baristas…

Clint ended up looking between Peggy and Steve with a shocked expression on his face but remained silent. Phil looked like he was having a head ache and both of Natasha's eyebrows disappeared into her hair line. A testament to how shocked she was by the confession. She was also the one to break the silence, her voice calm and measured.

"You know…. I would have expected this from Tony but not you, Steve." She said, stating it as a fact. She didn't sound disappointed, just surprised but the look she gave Steve said otherwise. Even Bucky had to wince at that jab and Peggy and Steve could do nothing more but to take it.

"Well… I guess we won't be seeing Stark junior around for awhile then." Clint finally said; looking kind of put out. He liked Tony. That kid was funny as hell when he wanted coffee and was so damn fun to tease. Clint had also came up with several nick names to use on the shorter male whenever he entered the shop which included short stack, shell head and Tiny Tin Man.

"I really didn't mean to hurt him like that. I didn't want him to find out the way he did." Steve said, the air of kicked puppy around him was so strong that Phil had to resist the urge to go over and give him a pat. He had to remind himself that in this dispute, no matter how Phil looked at it, Steve was in the wrong and Tony was hurting somewhere.

'Note to self, send Tony a gift basket as soon as possible.' He thought before sighing. He signalled Clint to go get the three some coffee and his boyfriend obliged. Natasha and Bucky continued to have a chat among themselves at the far corner of the breakfast bar, speaking in hushed tones and occasionally glancing at the 'guilty couple.'

"Steve, Peggy. What you did was wrong. I'll give you that. Tony has every right to be upset with you both." Phil said, sounding like a nanny chastising his wards. Steve and Peggy seem to sink in on themselves at that.

"You should have told Tony from the start Steve… And Peggy, you should have waited." He said with a sigh. Steve responded, his hand clutching Peggy's own.

"I wanted to Phil, believe me but a part of me still loves Tony. But I love Peggy too." Steve said a frustrated and broken look on his face.

"It's just with Tony… I can't do this. He's too young and way too smart… He deserves better than me. He deserves someone who can keep up with his intellect. I might be smart in my own right but I can't keep up with Tony forever." He said quietly and Peggy sighed, her thumb rubbing against Steve's warm hands.

"Steve's always been my first love and I feel horrible that I hurt Tony in this way… We were going to tell him on the day he was supposed to get back but… we didn't think he'd come home early and catch us." Peggy said, looking forlorn.

"It was the first time we ever did anything behind his back…" Steve continued and Phil sighed, shaking his head as Clint came by with a tray laden with coffee mugs.

"I can understand that." Phil finally said, making Steve and Peggy look up at him. Steve was wearing a look that was a mixture of sadness and shock while Peggy looked the slightest bit startled. Phil continued on as Clint set the drinks down.

"Tony is particularly bright and we may not understand him at times but he's a good kid. I can see you two and really upset about this and all I can say is that you will have to do a lot of work if either of you wants his forgiveness…" he said solemnly as they both nodded.

"Not to mention, you're going to have a hell of a time, seeing as Rhodey and Pepper are really protective over him… And there's also that butler of his. Jarvis?" Clint added; a look of partial admiration on his face. At the mention of the butler's name, Natasha perked up and looked over to their direction.

"You mean Edwin Jarvis? The guy who threatened Justin Hammer the last time he was on campus because he was picking on Tony?" Natasha asked; a look of awe on her face. That was enough to set all three of the college students on edge. Natasha in awe did not bode well for any of them.

"Yeah, that's the one. God, that incident was pretty funny…. Not that Hammer didn't deserve it off course… But that man sure has style." Clint said in an admiring tone. Bucky cast Steve and Peggy a look that could only be interpreted as 'good luck' before shaking his head and downing his coffee.

"Good luck you two." Phil said and both Peggy and Steve sighed. They had their work cut out for them it seems.

* * *

After Tony had gotten dressed, throwing on a pair of crumpled designer jeans and an AC/DC T-shirt, he peaked out from behind the door to see that Thor and his brother, Loki were chatting on the couch, the TV. on and blaring something that sounded suspiciously like Sherlock Holmes.

"So…" he stated, coming into full view of the room. The way Thor's and Loki's eyes seemed to snap and focus onto him with almost military precision was a bit disconcerting. He cleared his throat as Thor gave him a beaming smile, his brother merely quirking an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Um, I ordered Thai. It should be here any minute though." Tony continued; smiling though it didn't necessarily reach his eyes, something that Loki noted but Thor had missed completely.

"Excellent. Brother, you must try this Asian cuisine. It is quite excellent." Thor said, turning to Loki as Tony came about and dropped onto the couch next to Thor. Loki merely hummed in approval; having heard about these Thai foods from his brother in the email's Thor had sent him. He had to admit, he was rather intrigued but the bigger puzzle was this, Anthony or as Thor fondly called him Tony.

"It sounds alright." He said, the slight accent in his voice catching Tony's attention. Thor chuckled, wrapping his meaty arms around both Loki's and Tony's shoulder, bringing them close to his chest. The smile he wore was so bright and happy that neither of the two younger raven haired males' could bring it upon themselves to tell the muscular blond that his grip was kind of choking them.

"In this case, I suppose I can begin the formal introductions now." Thor boomed because he was incapable of doing anything else but. He peered down at Tony, giving off that big brother grin that had Tony smiling too.

"This is my brother, Loki. He has been studying in England before coming here. And Loki, this is Anthony Stark, or Tony. He has been a good roommate and he builds the most intriguing mechanical beasts." Thor said, seemingly pleased with his introduction.

"Nice to meet you, Loki." Tony said, giving the taller raven a grin and Loki nodded his head in assent, a small smile playing on his lips.

"It's nice to meet you as well. I'm surprised you lasted this long with Thor as a roommate, considering his habits." He said, unable to keep himself from ribbing his older brother slightly. After all, it was Loki who had to live with Thor's enthusiastic morning runs and odd eating patterns. Tony snickered a bit as he picked up to what Loki was referring to as Thor released them, giving Loki a mock frown before sighing and laying back on the couch.

"Nah, he's cool… Even if he does get up at insane hours in the mornings and eats like a Viking." Tony said with a grin, Thor sporting his own.

"Verily." It seemed that the older blond had not problems being referred to as a Viking, given the fact that he was named after the Norse god of thunder and all that. Loki snorted, shaking his head a bit.

"I pity you really." He said to Tony, his voice sympathetic. Loki was used to Thor's odd habits so it must have been terrible for Tony, having had to adjust to them. The words he spoke were met with another of Tony's careless shrugs, a look of amusement blooming on his face. It almost hid the hurt look that lurked in the younger male's chocolate brown eyes. Almost, but Loki being himself managed to see past the front.

"It's no big deal. I don't have regular sleeping hours either so it's cool. So what are you here for? I'm here for electrical engineering myself."Tony said and with that, the duo ended up chatting amicably while Thor watched TV. Loki found himself oddly interested in Tony's escapades and Tony found that he liked listening to Loki's stories of the life he'd lead back in England. It wasn't at all boring and as the minutes passed, it seemed like they had been friends for a long time and were just getting reacquainted with each other rather than meeting for the first time. Loki had found that Tony could be downright snarky when he wanted to be and gave as good as he got.

Thor laid back, eyes on the TV. but ears open as he listened to his brother and friend banter about the pro's and con's of using some sort of hair gel. A smile was plastered on his face, indicating that he was pleased that letting the duo meet had gotten such a good result. Privately he had to admit that he had been a bit worried. It wasn't often that Loki associated with any of his friends and most people couldn't really stand Loki's sharp tongue and biting wit. It seemed that he and Tony got along well enough and that was enough to satisfy Thor.

There was knock on the door a few moments later and Tony was quick to scramble off the couch, heading towards the door while Loki and Thor were left to watch. There was a delicious, spicy scent that wafted into the room as the door was opened and both Thor and Loki felt their stomachs grown in anticipation.

"It seems your stomach approves of the smell, brother." Thor said with a grin as Loki looked down at his abdomen in slight shocked embarrassment, a look in his eyes as if he was chastising the organ for making such a sound.

"It would appear so. Your roommate is quite something… He seems… interesting." Loki said after a beat of silence. He had that look on his face, the one that indicated that he would try to get to know someone better. It had only happened twice before and Thor seemed to grin at that, glad that Loki had found Tony interesting enough to try and make friends. Speaking of which…

"Do you need any help, Tony?" Thor asked as Tony paid the delivery guy while balancing the plastic bag filled with food in his arms.

"Nah. I got it." Tony called back, accepting his change and shutting the door behind him as he made his way back towards the living room. He had a small smile on his face as he lifted up the bag a little higher, showing off the recyclable food containers within.

"Chow time." He announced, bringing the food towards the coffee table. Thor gave a cheer and Loki shook his head at his brother's obvious exuberance for food. The trio ended up sitting on the floor around the coffee table as Tony served the food. They had a good time, chatting and laughing and in those moments, Tony could almost forget that his heart seemed to have been shredded into tiny, bites sized pieces.

* * *

In another part of the large campus, Bruce Banner and his girlfriend, Betty Ross were in the process of adjusting a few things on a machine that was supposed to help with the study of human cells when Bruce's phone started beeping a cheery tune, signalling a text message.

"Go on, I can handle it from here." Betty said as Bruce shot her a grateful smile as he backed off, washing his hands at the sink before drying them and checking his phone. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline at seeing the sender.

"It's from Pepper." He said out loud, attracting Betty's attention. The girl furrowed her eyebrows a bit at that. Betty and Pepper had met a handful of times and Betty had actually liked Pepper and they bonded over the fact that they had to take care of friends (or boyfriends in Betty's case) that preferred science to eating or sleeping regularly. The only reason Pepper would ever text Bruce was if she was asking them if they'd seen Tony.

"Is Tony running away from her again?" she asked, watching as Bruce read the message, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

"No, no. She's just telling me to go check up on Tony later if I had time. She didn't say why though." Bruce murmured, typing out a reply. He'd go see Tony when he went back to the dorms, living just three doors down away from Tony and Thor's room.

"I guess something must have happened. Pepper doesn't usually text things like that unless Tony did something wrong or something big had happened." Betty said, looking perplexed as she finished up with the machine. "And done." She said, giving the machine an almost loving pat at the side of its panels.

Bruce shrugged, although he couldn't quite hide the worry that was starting to show on his face. Tony was his friend and was the one who had gotten him out of his shell. If it wasn't for Tony's crazy but admittedly ingenious schemes, he wouldn't have met Betty and they wouldn't have gotten to know each other or started dating, Besides, Tony was also one of the few people who could understand his work and what he said half the time. They were as Tony put it, 'Science Bro's' and if something was going on with Tony, Bruce wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help.

"I suppose. I'll check up on his later." Bruce said resolutely, turning to smile at Betty as she patted the machine. "If we're lucky, Tony could have just made a live scale model of a Dalek and had it chase around a professor or something." Bruce said, earning a laugh from Betty.

"Well it is Tony. You never know with him." She said, recalling the incident where Tony had gotten into those tiny cleaning robots the school had and caused them to run rampant in the halls and smearing the floors with hot pink paint.

"Well I guess there's only one way to find out for sure." Bruce said as he packed up. Maybe after lunch with Betty, he'd go see what his wayward friend had been up too.

* * *

TBC.


End file.
